Cooking for Zo

During one of our first dates as we walked by the river a fun idea for dinner came up. We would take the leftover Mexican cooking ingredients from both of our fridges and make something with them. Zo brought over a small block of white cheddar, some cilantro, a 3/4 full can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, an almost empty jar of Habanero salsa and some tortillas. In my fridge I had some leftover chorizo, a few red potatoes, 1/2 of a jalapeno, an almost empty container of sour cream that was near expiration, a bottle of green taco sauce and a block of sharp cheddar cheese. We mixed it all together and man was it yummy! It of course the original recipe matured and has become one of our favorite meals. It is even called the Love Casserole by one of Zo's best friends. It is a little spicy so if you can't take the heat leave this casserole in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 cup chorizo beef or pork (alternately we have used soyrizo for a vegetarian substitute)
1 7 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 of a medium sweet onion (chopped)
2-3 medium green onions (chopped)
1/2 jalapeno (diced)
2/3 cup white cheddar (shredded)
1/2 cup chipotle cheddar Shredded)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
enough red potatoes to fill a little more than 2/3 of an 8x8 baking dish (any kind of potato can be substituted)

Put the red potatoes in microwaveable dish. (This part can be a little tricky.) If you are using red potatoes there is a good chance they are smaller than a normal potato. I usually guesstimate 2 red potatoes for one normal potato. Then I take 2/3 of that number and set my microwave to cook that many potatoes. (For example if I have 6 red potatoes, I would say I have the equivalent of 3 regular sized potatoes and then set my microwave to cook only 2 potatoes.) You are basically only cooking the potatoes partially. (Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.) Once cooked remove from microwave and let cool until you are able to hold in your hand for 30 or more seconds.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Open your can of chipotle peppers and pour into a small strainer. Rinse of well for 2-3 minutes under cool water. (This is getting off some of the adobe sauce.) Then chop.

While potatoes are cooking and cooling. Fold all ingredients except potatoes and cheese by hand in an 8x8 baking dish till mixed well. Chop your now cooled potatoes and fold into mixture by hand. Mix cheeses together and then spread over top of casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool 5- 10 minutes before serving.

Or favorite way to have this is on a white tortilla with a little sour cream and salsa.

Additional uses for this recipe:
1. Spread over tortilla chips, add a little cheese to the top and warm in oven at 300 degrees until cheese is melted for some outstanding nachos.